A pack of LGBTQ “furries” bragged on social media that it had hacked and leaked data from a far-right media outlet as part of an ongoing campaign against organizations deemed transphobic.
The hacking group, known as SiegedSec, announced on Telegram it had targeted “Real America’s Voice.” The streaming, cable, and satellite channel frequently promotes conspiracy theories, and its hosts regularly express anti-LGBTQ sentiments.
“The hack reveals the personal information of 1,200+ individuals on their app, such as full name, phone number, email address,” SiegedSec wrote. “We also went poof on their files, we wiped the user data from their API and wiped their AWS S3 bucket.”
SiegedSec's next #OpTransRights2 breach is here!
We've breached Real America's Voice, a news platform spreading LGBTQ+ misinformation! time for a bit of lulz~
User data leaked, AWS S3 buckets deleted, and user data wiped :3 https://t.co/dOLrkHkOrG pic.twitter.com/4yrP5SjEI7— SiegedSec (@SiegedSecurity) April 15, 2024
SiegedSec also bragged about its actions on its X account, saying the hack was the second iteration of #OpTransRights, “a broader offensive against transphobia and the organizations that perpetrate it.”
According to The Daily Dot, the data reportedly wiped from the Amazon server included personal user information related to the network’s top shows, including those hosted by right-wing mouthpieces, including Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, former advisor to President Trump Steve Bannon, and musician Ted Nugent.
It’s unclear whether the hack caused any permanent damage.
The #OpTransRights campaign started last year after the group targeted government websites in five states over their policies limiting access to gender-affirming care.
The campaign was revived on April 1 when SiegedSec hacked the website of the River Valley Church in Burnsville, Minnesota, over anti-transgender remarks made by its pastor, Rob Ketterling.
The hack of the River Valley Church website resulted in the leak of about 15,000 user accounts from the ministry’s website, as well as private prayer requests.
The group followed that action by doxing Ketterling, making his email and personal phone number public, and encouraging pro-transgender advocates to send him texts criticizing his anti-trans rhetoric.
SiegedSec addressed criticism of the group that the online attacks reflect negatively on the LGBTQ community as a whole.
“Throughout our attacks on transphobic entities, we have received concerns that our attacks will be used to label the LGBTQ+ community as ‘terrorists’ and ‘criminals.’ The thing is, these types of people will blame the LGBTQ+ community regardless of what we do,” the group wrote in its Telegram post. “They will look for a reason to hate, they won’t listen to reason, they want to spread lies to shun people different than them.
“And so here we are,” the group concluded, “fighting back in our own way, delivering justice to those who spread hate.”
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
You must be logged in to post a comment.